The known axial gap motors having a rotor, and a stator or stators arranged opposite to the rotor through a gap in a direction of the rotation axis of the rotor include, for example, those described in Patent Literatures 1 to 4 below.
In the axial gap motors described in Patent Literatures 1 to 4 below, the rotor has permanent magnets arranged as separated from each other in the circumferential direction around the rotation axis, and soft magnetic members arranged between these permanent magnets (soft magnetic members between permanent magnets). These Patent Literatures describe that the soft magnetic members arranged as described above cause an increase in reluctance torque and thus an increase in motor torque.